AmateurGm.com

There is an old adage in baseball that “good pitching beats good hitting”. In this series I want to look at the starting rotations from each division and see how they match up with others. The American League East has always been a case of the haves and the have nots. At the top you have the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox who seem to have an endless amount of cash at their disposal to sign whom ever the top free agents are on the market. At the bottom you have the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays who have a hard time “keeping up with the Jones”. Who has the best Pitching Staff of [...]

• 4 Comments
• Category: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Free Agents, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Brad Bergesen, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, Brian Matusz, C.C. Sabathia, Chris Tillman, Clay Buchholtz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dana Eveland, David Hernandez, David Price, David Purcey, Dustin McGowan, James Shields, Jason Berken, Javier Vazquez, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Guthrie, Joba Chamberlain, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Kevin Millwood, Marc Rzepczynski, Matt Garza, Phil Hughes, Ricky Romero, Scott Richmond, Shaun Marcum, Tim Wakefield, Wade Davis

Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tiger agreed to a 5 year $80 million deal and in turn avoiding arbitration with their staff ace.  Verlander is coming off his best year in the majors posting a 19-9 record with a 3.45 ERA and a league leading 269 strikeouts. It was reported that Verlander was originally seeking a 6th year to the deal however it seems as though he will have to settle for 5. The Tigers used the recent Felix Hernandez contract as a basis for negotiations. The Tigers made a smart move by signing Verlander to this long term extension. As has been illustrated this off season with the signing of John Lackey, Ben Sheets and even Brad Penny, teams [...]

• 1 Comment
• Category: Detroit Tigers
• Tagged as Ben Sheets, Brad Penny, Felix Hernandez, John Lackey, Justin Verlander

SI.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted that the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, and Seattle Mariners have agreed to a blockbuster three-team trade involving aces Roy Halladay (RHP) and Cliff Lee (LHP). As part of the trade, the Phillies would receive Halladay with Lee going to the Mariners.  Todd Zolecki of MLB.com verifies Heyman’s report and says it is not known yet what each team will receive in the deal. I expect the Blue Jays will receive a few top prospects in the deal in return for a pitcher of Halladay’s caliber. The Phillies are rumored to be working on a contract extension with Halladay, as he is due to become a free agent after this upcoming season. Ironically enough, the Phillies were interested [...]

• 2 Comments
• Category: Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Rumors, Seattle Mariners, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Alex Anthopoulos, Chone Figgins, Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez, Hideki Matsui, John Lackey, roy halladay

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports that free agent pitcher John Lackey took a physical with the Boston Red Sox today. This is a huge sign that Lackey is close to signing a deal with the team. Rosenthal believes the deal is close to the one A.J. Burnett signed with the New York Yankees last offseason for 5 years and $82.5 million. The 31-year-old Lackey is considered the No. 1 free agent starter on the market and has spent his entire 8-year career with the Los Angeles Angels. The potential signing of Lackey would be a huge move for the Red Sox as he would bring another great arm to their rotation in their quest to dethrone the Yankees. The Red Sox [...]

• 1 Comment
• Category: Boston Red Sox, Free Agents, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Rumors, San Diego Padres, Teams
• Tagged as A.J. Burnett, Adrian Beltre, Adrian Gonzalez, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jason Bay, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield

Day three of the Winter Meetings was filled with plenty of activity. Many rumors and signings were reported on Wednesday as teams started to accomplish things before heading home tomorrow. Here is a rundown from a busy day from Indianapolis. Astros sign Brandon Lyon – Ken Rosenthal tweeted that Brandon Lyon (RHP) has agreed to a 3-year deal worth $15 million with the Houston Astros. Lyon is a possible option for the closer’s role  for the Astros should Jose Valverde leave via free agency. Roy Halladay Update – According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Los Angeles Angels sent the Toronto Blue Jays a trade proposal on Wednesday for ace Roy Halladay (RHP). The Angels offer is rumored [...]

• 2 Comments
• Category: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Free Agents, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rumors, Tampa Bay Rays, Teams, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Adrian Beltre, Andy Pettitte, Bengie Molina, Brandon Lyon, Chris Ray, Dan Uggla, Derek Lowe, Erick Aybar, J.J. Putz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jesse Chavez, Joe Saunders, Johan Santana, John Lackey, Jose Valverde, kenny williams, Kevin Millwood, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Lindstrom, Max Ramirez, Michael Young, Mike Lowell, Milton Bradley, Peter Bourjos, Rafael Soriano, Randy Wolf, Rich Harden, Roberto Clemente, roy halladay, Rule 5 Draft, Shane Victorino, Taylor Teagarden, Trevor Hoffman

Lyle Spencer of MLB.com says that Vladimir Guerrero (OF, DH) is seeking a 2-year deal and would like to stay in Los Angeles because that is where is his family has settled. Guerrero has been one of the most consistent sluggers in the game. Prior to 2009 for twelve consecutive years he hit at least .300 and had 25 or more homers for eleven straight seasons. However, Guerrero’s number took a dip in 2009 with a .295 BA and 15 homers. He has had a number of health problems through out the years as well. Just last year, he came into the season having recovered from knee surgery and took two trip to the DL for a leg issue and a torn [...]

• 2 Comments
• Category: Chicago White Sox, Free Agents, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Rumors, Texas Rangers
• Tagged as Billy Butler, Chone Figgins, Gary Matthews, Gary Matthews Jr., Ian Kinsler, John Lackey, Josh Hamilton, Juan Rivera, kenny williams, Michael Young, Mike Jacobs, Nelson Cruz, Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero

The Baltimore Orioles have positioned themselves well this off season to make some impact signings in the free agent market. They only have $29.5 million committed to six players for 2010. After renewals and arbitration, the O’s should see their payroll fall right around $45 million mark. They also only have commitments to three players (Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis and Brian Matsuz) beyond the 2010 season. The last time they spent big bucks in the free agent market was the 2003-04 off season when they signed Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez, Sidney Ponson and Rafael Palmeiro for a combined total of over $120 million. Andy McPhail has owner Peter Angelos to contend with when making decisions on who to pursue. Jeff [...]

• 2 Comments
• Category: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Free Agents, New York Yankees, Rumors, Tampa Bay Rays
• Tagged as Adam Jones, Andy McPhail, Billy wagner, Brandon Snyder, Brian Matsuz, Brian Roberts, Evan Longoria, Fernando Rodney, Hank Blalock, Javy Lopez, Joel Zumaya, John Lackey, Josh Bell, Miguel Tejada, Mike Gonzalez, Nick Markakis, Peter Angelos, Rafael Palmeiro, Sidney Ponson

With the exception of Aroldis Chapman the majority of this year’s top free agent pitchers have suffered through more than their share of aches and pains. They are tempting pitchers to have on your roster, but they come with a lot of baggage too. So who is worth the risk and who isn’t? John Lackey (RHP) – Lackey has been a work horse for the LA Angels since the 2003 season. He is a bona fide ace that at the age of 31 could potentially anchor your staff for the next 5+ years. Over the past five seasons, Lackey has never produced an ERA greater than four. In each season since 2006, Lackey’s WHIP has ranged from 1.21 to 1.26. [...]

• 4 Comments
• Category: Chicago Cubs, Free Agents, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners
• Tagged as Ben Sheets, Erik Bedard, John Lackey, Randy Wolf, Rich Harden